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Print:This Incident Report describes events occurring in Noh T’Kaw (Kyainseikgyi) Township, Dooplaya District, in December 2025. On December 5th 2025, at around 7 pm, the Burma Army continuously fired 81 mm and 60 mm shells into a village in T’Hka Kloh (Kya Hka Chaung) village tract. As a result of the shelling, one villager was injured. In addition, several rubber trees were damaged by shrapnel from the explosion. As the victim was a daily labourer, he faced financial difficulties in seeking treatment at the hospital in Kyainseikgyi Town. The Burma Army frequently conducted shelling in the area, causing villagers to fear travelling. Furthermore, the prohibition on nighttime travel imposed by the Burma Army created significant challenges for patients in critical condition and pregnant women who needed to access medical treatment in Kyainseikgyi Town.[1]
Part 1 – Incident Details
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Type of Incident |
[Shelling.] Burma Army[2] shelling injured a villager. |
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Date of Incident(s) |
December 5th 2025 |
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Incident Location (Village, Township and District) |
Aa--- village, T’Hka Kloh village tract[3], Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District. |
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Victim Information |
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Name |
Maung[4] A--- |
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Age |
45 years old |
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Gender |
Man |
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Ethnicity |
Bamar[5] |
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Marital Status |
Married |
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Occupation |
Plantation worker |
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Religion |
Christian |
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Position |
Villager |
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Village |
Aa--- village, T’Hka Kloh village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District. |
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Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors) |
||||
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Name(s) |
Rank |
Unit |
Base |
Commander’s Name |
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Unknown |
Unknown |
Infantry Battalion (IB)[6] #283 |
Located between Tho Taing (Ther Ter) village and Shwe Done village [both in Noh T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District]. |
Unknown |
Part 2 - Information Quality
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1. Explain in detail how you collected this information. |
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I [KHRG researcher], who filled this information in myself, hid in a bunker [in Aa--- village] for safety during the shelling. The place where I was staying was only about 300 feet (91 meters) away from the location where the man was injured. [The researcher also conducted an interview with the victim’s wife, who was present during the incident.] |
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2. Explain how the source verified this information. |
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I [researcher] took pictures of the victim’s injury and interviewed his wife, so this information is true. [The researcher was also at the incident place when the shelling occurred.] |
Part 3 – Complete Description of the Incident
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Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail. |
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Kyainseikgyi Town [locally known as Seik Gyi Town, located in Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District] is under the control of the Burma Army. There are three IBs, IB #283, IB #284, IB #32, and a Hilltop Operation Base located near the town. [These army camps have frequently carried out shelling and drone strikes in nearby areas.[7]]
On December 5th 2025, at around 12 pm, the combined forces of [the People’s Defence Force (PDF)[8] and] the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[9] attacked these Burma Army bases using drones. In response, the Burma Army indiscriminately fired 81 mm mortar shells at areas beside the main road in Aa--- village, T’Hka Kloh village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District. That day at noon, three shells landed near Aa--- village but did not damage any of the villagers’ houses.
Later that same day, at around 7 pm, the State Administration Council (SAC)[10] fired 81 mm and 60 mm mortar shells continuously into Aa--- village. Two mortar shells landed in a rubber plantation next to a villager's hut [near] Aa--- village. The explosions injured a villager named Maung A--- (45 years old) and damaged some rubber trees. It appeared that two mortars were fired simultaneously, as the second shell exploded approximately four seconds after the first. Before the shelling, the man had been watching a video with his family in the hut. When the first shell exploded, his wife and children ran into the bunker beneath the hut. As Maung A--- prioritised his wife and children’s safety and ensured they reached shelter first, the second shell landed [when he was still in the hut] and he was struck in the abdomen by shrapnel. Although injured, he did not dare to go to the clinic immediately, so he covered his injury with mud. After that, his wife applied monosodium glutamate (MSG) to the wound and, after some time, the bleeding stopped.
Ma[11] B--- [the victim’s wife] explained to KHRG: “After the first shell landed, I ran into the bunker with my children. The explosion initially deafened me, and I could not hear anything for a while. Two shells landed in the garden, while the others fell farther away. Their father [Maung A---] was injured in the abdomen, and his wound was bleeding a lot. Because of his abdominal injury, we may need to take him to the hospital in Kyainseikgyi Town for a medical checkup. At the moment, we have no money and will need to speak with our boss [employer] regarding financial support before going to the hospital. I do not wish for this kind of incident to happen again. We are deeply worried for our children.”
Maung A--- has four children. His family is originally from the Ayeyarwady Region. They moved to Aa--- village in 2014 and work on the rubber plantation as daily labourers.
The SAC often conduct shelling, so villagers are afraid to travel. At night, villagers are prohibited [by the Burma Army] from travelling whether the Burma Army carries out active shelling or not. This restriction causes problems for pregnant women and patients with critical medical conditions [to access health care in Kyainseikgyi Town]. |
Part 4 - Permission for Using the Details
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Did the victim(s) provide permission to use this information? Explain how that permission was provided. |
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The information can be used. [The victim and the victim’s wife gave KHRG permission to use the information.] |
Further background reading on the situation of shelling in Southeast Burma/Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports:
- Stolen Childhoods: Violations of children’s rights, urgent needs, and local agency in rural Southeast Burma during the conflict, October 2025.
- “Dooplaya District Short Update: SAC shelling and displacement challenges in Kruh Tuh Township (July 2025)”, January 2026.
- “Taw Oo District Incident Report: SAC shelling killed a four-year-old boy and injured two villagers, including a six-year-old girl, in Daw Hpah Hkoh Township (June 2025)”, January 2026.
These photos were taken in December 2025, in Aa--- village, T’Hka Kloh village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District. On December 5th 2025, at around 7 pm, Burma Army IB #283 fired 81 mm mortar shells into a rubber plantation. The explosion injured Maung A--- in the abdomen. The shells also damaged several rubber trees. The photo on the left shows one of the rubber trees damaged by shrapnel, while the photo on the right shows Maung A---’s wound. Due to financial difficulties, he cannot afford to seek treatment at the hospital. [Photos: KHRG]
Footnotes:
[1] The present document is based on information received in December 2025. It was provided by a community member in Dooplaya District who has been trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions on the ground. The names of the victims, their photos and the exact locations are censored for security reasons. The parts in square brackets are explanations added by KHRG. This document combines several received reports with the following KHRG internal log numbers: #25-445-I1 and #25-445-A1-I1.
[2] The terms Burma military, Burma Army, SAC, Tatmadaw, and junta are used interchangeably throughout this report to describe the Burma military regime’s armed forces. Villagers themselves commonly use Burma Army, Burmese soldiers, or alternatively the name adopted by the Burma military regime at the time —from the 2021 coup to July 2025, the State Administration Council (SAC). On July 31st 2025, the military junta changed its name to the State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC).
[3] A village tract is an administrative unit of between five and 20 villages in a local area, often centred on a large village.
[4] ‘Maung’ is a Burmese male honorific title used before a person’s name.
[5] The majority ethnic group in Myanmar, also known as ethnic Burmese or Burman.
[6] An Infantry Battalion (IB) comprises 500 soldiers. However, most Infantry Battalions in the Tatmadaw are under-strength with less than 200 soldiers. Yet up to date information regarding the size of battalions is hard to come by, particularly following the signing of the NCA. They are primarily used for garrison duty but are sometimes used in offensive operations.
[7] Unpublished report from Dooplaya District, received in January 2026 (#26-25-D1).
[8] The People’s Defence Force (PDF) is an armed resistance established independently as local civilian militias operating across the country. Following the February 1st 2021 military coup and the ongoing brutal violence enacted by the junta, the majority of these groups began working with the National Unity Government (NUG), a body claiming to be the legitimate government of Burma/Myanmar, which then formalized the PDF on May 5th 2021 as a precursor to a federal army.
[9] The Karen National Liberation Army is the armed wing of the Karen National Union.
[10] The State Administration Council (SAC) is the executive governing body created in the aftermath of the February 1st 2021 military coup. It was established by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on February 2nd 2021, and is composed of eight military officers and eight civilians. The chairperson serves as the de facto head of government of Burma/Myanmar and leads the Military Cabinet of Myanmar, the executive branch of the government. Min Aung Hlaing assumed the role of SAC chairperson following the coup. The military junta changed its name on July 31st 2025 to State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC). It is also referred to as the Burma military regime.
[11] ‘Ma’ is a Burmese female honorific title used before a person’s name.
